Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan arrest: jailer books 5 cells for him by mistake after reading his name

Minutes after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan was convicted of rape by the CBI court on Friday, riots sparked in parts of Haryana and Punjab. Upset with the unfavourable verdict, the Dera followers vandalised public property in panic and attacked the state forces. However, the panic was greater amongst the prison authorities where the accused was supposed to be kept in custody.

The prison in-charge of Rohtak jail, unknown to the fact that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan is the name of one person, ended up reserving five cells with five names: Gurmeet, Ram, Rahim, Singh, and Insaan.

Our reporter spoke to the confused prison in-charge, who confirmed the incident. “Firstly, it was unclear whether he’d be taken to a resort or brought to our jail. Since we live in India, I was confident that the high-profile criminal would be taken to a resort, but I kept myself prepared for the unexpected as well,” he said while describing the post-verdict situation.

The officer did not just reserve five cells after the verdict, he also released five prisoners to vacate the occupied cells. “I was under the impression that I’m given the custody of five rapists. That’s a lot of people to accommodate in the prison which is already full of rapists. Hence, I had to release five of them,” he said. Our investigations revealed that the released criminals had initially refused to walk out empty-handed. However, they happily left after the officer gifted a sewing machine and paid Rs 10,000 in cash to each of them.

Speaking about the entire incident, the prison in-charge gave an official statement on behalf of the Khattar government: This is a rarest-of-the-rare release for a rarest-of-the-rare crime.

Haryana CM, Manohar Lal Khattar, explaining his stand on the post-verdict riots, said, “Everyone knows what happens to female foetuses in Haryana. The fact that the state is in news for two adult females is exactly the kind of development I wish for.”